ward3brighton.ca

With only the weekend between us and presentation of the 2008 budget on Monday, and being the first year of the freeze on residential property tax assessments, I thought I’d link to this NOW magazine article about property taxes that highlights some of the inherent quirks, conflicts and competing interests that are created by the whole concept of property taxes. The article is a short excerpt from a longer piece that author Dylan Reid has posted at the Toronto urban issues blog, Spacing Toronto. Pretty dry stuff for most people, but, hey… you get what you pay for here. Enjoy.

Planning Board voted earlier this week, by the slimmest possible margin, to recommend against the height variance for the proposed building on Fitzroy Street, contrary to the recommendation of Planning staff who thought the new 8-story design would be acceptable with a few minor design changes. That leaves the developer with a couple of options at this point. They could allow the recommendation from Planning Board to proceed to a vote at April’s Council meeting, or they could pull the application, go back to the drawing board, and start the application process over again with a redesigned building.

There is a significant risk to the developer if they choose to proceed to Council, because if Council agrees with Planning Board’s recommendation, the developer cannot re-apply for one year unless the proposal is significantly altered. There are potential tenants anxiously awaiting the outcome of this application, but even if the variance issue is resolved, there is still the difficult issue of parking to deal with.

I just had a call from a member of the Upton Farm Preservation Network. She was concerned about this line in a Guardian story about a possible concert next summer:

Upton Farm is the desired location for the 2008 show, a piece of property that is split in half by the Trans-Canada Highway at Mayfield. The concert would take place on the south side, in behind the Maypoint Road.

This is the second time the Guardian has wrongly identified this as the proposed venue. This part of the farm has never been considered as a location for a concert. It is the north side of the farm that is under consideration, immediately west of where the bypass highway meets the Upton Road [view on map]. I’m sure this is causing a lot of unnecessary stress to residents in the Maypoint/Orchard Hill Park area. I’ve asked the Guardian to correct the online version of the story and print a correction in tomorrow’s paper.

The proposed new 7-story building on Fitzroy was discussed at Planning Board last month and the board voted to reject the application. The consensus was that without any setback the building was just too imposing over the neighbouring properties. There appeared to be support for the height variance, but the lack of side setback was definitely a problem with most board members.

The developer has resubmitted the proposal with a twelve-foot side setback but with an additional story on the building, for a total of eight. The original plan showed the seventh story stepped back from the sixth. The additional floor in the new plan is stepped back further again from the one below it, so it does not give the impression of a straight 8-story wall from the street.

Notices have gone out to the same property owners within 100 meters. The feedback was good the first time around and certainly had some influence on the board. I assume those property owners who submitted comments on the initial proposal will want to comment on the amended plan.

Last fall, the manager of Public Works asked all councillors for a wish list of capital projects for 2008. My list included, among other things, new sidewalk construction for Ward 3. Based partly on the feedback I got while campaigning in 2006, and partly on my own observations around the ward I identified a need on Edinburgh Drive (between Colonel Gray and Charlotte), and on Trafalgar Drive (between Riverview and Nassau).

I’m happy to report that both of these requests have been approved by council. These represent a signficant share of the total new sidewalk construction for 2008. If you have any questions or concerns before the work begins, likely in the summer, please let me know.

Edinburgh, which is essentially an extension of Goodwill, is the major north-south road through the neighbourhoods west of North River Road in Ward 3. The new sidewalk will cover the only three-block stretch without a sidewalk all the way from Brighton Road in the south, to the north end of Edinburgh at Maplewood Drive. This is a busy stretch of road with relatively high pedestrian traffic. There are students walking to school, and many walkers/joggers on their way to and from Victoria Park. Because it’s such a neighbourhood thoroughfare, I’ve heard many complaints about speeding on Edinburgh. Last year I had new “Kids Playing” and speed limit signage posted on request of a resident. There has been a definite safety concern here, so it’s a perfect place for a new sidewalk.

Trafalgar is another example of a sidewalk extending only halfway up the street. There is an existing sidewalk between Kirkwood and Riverview Drive, but then it stops. The Spring Park Church on Trafalgar is home to the Spring Park School of Early Learning and the Emmanuel Christian School. Spring Park Elementary is around the corner, and Colonel Gray High and Queen Charlotte Intermediate are nearby. This is a school zone by any definition. There’s no reason for Trafalgar to have half a sidewalk.